Can I Take Your Order?
by ImFrOmThEcReEk
Summary: Joey and Pacey meet when Pacey waits on her at a local restaurant in a small town...Feedback please
1. Joey's life

A/U: Joey, Jen, and Jack all grew up together in a small town in New Jersey called Bayonne. They go to college at St. Peter's College in Jersey City and live in Bayonne currently. The three friends have never met Pacey, who did not grown up with them. Joey's dating someone....

Disclaimer: I do not nor ever will own Dawson's Creek or the characters. They belong to Kevin Williamson and the WB.  
  
Can I Take Your Order? by Madrose  
  
Ch.1  
  
She walked in, holding his hand. Taking short, graceful steps next to him as they walked, their steps in time with one another. Her dress was long and elegant and her long brown hair was down her back, past her shoulders a little ways. The hostess sat the couple down at a table, facing the karaoke stage. It was Wednesday night, her favorite night to come and watch the people who probably had consumed too much alcohol go up and sing Whitney Houston, Aretha, and countless other's song. Yes, they butchered them everytime, but she took pleasure in seeing other people's carefree spirit and just people having downright fun. She needed fun in her life. All she did was study, her boyfriend was great, but she needed more, something that could hold her interest for longer than a week or two.  
  
"Jo, you should go up there and sing," he told her, brushing his finger over the top of her hand.  
  
She contemplated it. Yes, Joey Potter, actually thought about going up on that stage and singing in front of the whole restuarant. But once again, her fear took over. Like she always let it. Consuming her brain and never letting her step out of the box she had created. And he was sweet, everytime they came here on Wednesdays, he would encourage her to go up there and sing her little heart out, but every week it was the same. She always told him, maybe next week. And he would nodd his head and smile, always so supportive, but sometimes she wished he wasn't. Maybe just for once, he would be pushy and actually force her to confront her fears. But just like every time, she said, "Maybe next week."  
  
And he smiled, nodding his head. He handed her the menu and she looked over it, although she already knew what she was going to order. Even this, as simple as it sounds, bothered her. Why did she always order the same thing? Why did she never take the chance to order something else? Hey, maybe she'd hate it, but atleast she'd tried it.  
  
"Do you know what you want?" he asked.  
  
"Yep," she replied.  
  
"Good," he said, leaning in to her and brushing his lips across her cheek. She smiled. Her thoughts were interupted when she heard a voice,  
  
"Hi, My name's Pacey. Can I take your order?"


	2. The Encounter

Ch.2  
  
Joey turned her attention to the male voice she had just heard. She glanced up at him and smiled softly, turning to Brian, "Why don't you go first?" she suggested.  
  
"Yeah, I'll have the pasta with vodka sauce," he told Pacey, "and a Miller Light."  
  
"Okay," Pacey said as he jotted down his order, "And for you?" he asked looking up at her. She looked at him, making eye contact and Pacey felt his breath catch in the back of his throat. Joey stared at him too, his eyes were intriguing. They were this saffire blue, like the sky except had a darker tint of blue. Snap out of it Joey, boyfriend right next to you.  
  
"Uh, I'll have the turkey sandwich," she said.  
  
Her voice, it was soft and sweet, it had this beautiful sound to it. He didn't know what it was about her, she was just so.....  
  
"Are you okay?" Joey asked, noticing his dazed out look.  
  
"Yeah, I just uh...a turkey sandwich right?" he said as he wrote it down.  
  
"Yep, and I'll have a Coke," she told him.  
  
"You don't want anything to drink?" Brian asked her.  
  
"Yeah, a Coke," Joey said, "That's what I said," she said laughing quietly.  
  
"No, I mean with alcohol in it?" Brian replied.  
  
"Oh that's okay, I'm fine," Joey told him, "You know me when it comes to booze," she said, sarcasm heavy in her voice. He laughed, she laughed, Pacey laughed. Pacey didn't know why he laughed, it really wasn't funny, but her laugh made him laugh.  
  
"Okay, well um..." God he couldn't remember what he was going to say, "Right, I'll be back with your drinks," Pacey told them. He walked away and headed into the back kitchen to pour the couple's drinks. He looked behind his shoulder at her. She was talking to him, he assumed her boyfriend, why was he already jealous? First of all, he didn't even know her name. He just moved to Bayonne and started this job two days ago. But, god was she beautiful. Her hair, was this gorgeous shade of brown and her eyes. Her eyes were dark chocolate orbs that looked endless. Drinks, Pacey, Drinks, he thought to himself.  
  
"So Jo, how was did your lecture go today in class?" Brian asked.  
  
"Alright, I completely messed up on this one part, but, it turned out okay," Joey told him, glancing around the restaurant, she saw their waiter walking to the table next to them. He's so cute, Joey thought to herself, O God. What the hell was she thinking? She had a perfectly great guy right next to her and he was crazy about her. Jen told her it was fine to think other guys were hot even though she was dating someone else, but Joey always felt like she was cheating on Brian when she thought things like that about other guys. She looked up at the karaoke bar. A girl, probably a little older than her was there, singing "I Will Survive." She had bright red hair and just as red lipstick, apparantly drunk beyond reason, because she completely hit all the wrong notes.  
  
"God, that girl cannot sing. Earth to Joey," Brian said, rubbing his lips against her temple softly and bringing her back from la-la land.  
  
"Sorry," she apologized, leaning in for a quick kiss, "How was your day today?" she asked against his lips.  
  
"Fine, but I missed you, as always," Brian replied.  
  
"I missed you to," she giggled, kissing him again, harder this time. She parted his lips with her tongue and slid it into his mouth, causing him to groan.  
  
"Uh....." Pacey said, uncomfortably, "Here's your drinks."  
  
"Thanks," Brian said, against Joey's lips, "You can just leave them there." Joey immediately felt awkward and pulled away from Brian, leaving him disappointed.  
  
"Or, we'll just watch you give them to us," Brian said as he gave Joey a quizzical look. She shrugged and noticed Pacey's hands were shaking as he placed the beer next to Brian's plate. He walked over around Joey and when he went to set the drink down, his trembling hands got the best of him, spilling the contents of the ice cold coke all over Joey's lap. She shrieked.  
  
"What the hell?" Brian said as he got up and pulled Joey's seat out and helped her up.  
  
"Oh my god, I'm so sorry," Pacey said, embarrassed, wanting to make the whole situation better.  
  
"It's okay," Joey told him.  
  
"No, it's not," Brian replied, "Listen buddy could you try and be more careful?"  
  
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to---" Pacey started.  
  
"You didn't mean to spill coke on my girlfriend?" Brian replied. Girlfriend, Pacey thought to himself, damn.  
  
"Brian, it's fine, okay? Stop," Joey warned, resting her hand on his shoulder.  
  
"Well I'm sorry if this asshole wouldn't have spilled the damn drink on you, I wouldn't be so angry," he told Joey, his tone rising.  
  
"Stop it, You're embarrassing me," Joey replied, whispering in his ear.  
  
"Listen, I'm the one who should be embarrassed," Pacey cut in, "It's my second day on the job and well I guess I'm not quite used to the whole ordeal yet."  
  
"We understand," Joey replied.  
  
"No, we don't, this is my girlfriend's dress, your "first day" jitters ruined. Can I talk to the manager?" Brian asked.  
  
"Bri, what the hell? Stop it. You're being completely irrational. Just drop it," Joey sighed as she sat back down, "Don't worry about it."  
  
"No, I feel horrible," Pacey told her.  
  
"Don't, it's really not that big of a deal," she said, placing a hand on her shoulder as he reached down to remove the glass from the floor. He felt a spark run through him at the contact. She quickly pulled her hand away, realizing Brian was already upset enough as it was.  
  
"Okay, well dinner's on the house tonight and the dress, not sure I can fix that, my mom didn't train me in stain removal," Pacey chuckled nervously, attempting to lighten the matter.  
  
Joey laughed, Brian didn't. He sat back down and gave Pacey a nasty look. "Can you go and get our food now?" Brian asked.  
  
"That was rude," Joey snapped.  
  
"I'm sorry, Are you dating him?" he said, sarcasm evident in his voice.  
  
Joey laughed, smiling widely, noticing how cute Brian's jealously act was, "Sweetheart, you have nothing to worry about," she said as she kissed him again, trying to calm him down. She had his full, undivided attention as she reached her hand down and played with the hem of jeans, sliding her tongue into his mouth. She motioned her hand, telling Pacey to go. He walked away and muttered "Shithead," under his breath. Brian pulled away from Joey's lips quickly,  
  
"I'm sorry what did you say?" Brian asked.  
  
"Nothing," Pacey answered quickly, too quickly.  
  
"I'm sorry I thought you threw an expletive my way. Sorry man, but I'm your paying customer. I might be your age, but that doesn't mean you talk to your customer that way," Brian said quickly, his anger increasing by the second, "I'm definitely talking to the manager about this." All the while, Joey was biting her bottom lip fiercely, desperately trying to hold in the fit of laughter about to overtake her system and frustrate Brian even further.  
  
"Listen, I'm sorry. But please don't go to the manager. I really need this job," Pacey pleaded.  
  
"We're not going to go to the manager. However, I think the mature thing that should have been done, is for you not to have made any further comment," Joey couldn't contain her laughter anymore, she burst into a fit of giggles and tried hard to finish her last sentence, "although my boyfriend was far from a gentlemen tonight," Joey told Pacey, giving Brian a look. By this time Pacey was cracking up too, once again, this situation was not that funny, but she was and he liked her. Brian kept throwing Pacey nasty looks, automatically feeling that Joey had taken the waiter's side over his.  
  
"Sorry, sometimes my mouth gets the best of me," Pacey said apologetically, not towards him, but towards her.  
  
"Along with your "first day jitters," Brian said, dryly. Joey started laughing again, "You know Jo, I'm glad you think this is funny." Once she started, she couldn't stop,  
  
"Brian," she said between her laughter, "Why don't we just go back to my place?"  
  
"Fine," he said, grabbing his coat and throwing it over his shoulders. He helped her on with hers, "You're a lucky man," he said, pointing his finger at Pacey. Joey took out her wallet and left him a 10 dollar tip.  
  
"What?" Brian said, shocked, "A tip? He didn't even serve us dinner."  
  
"Yeah, I can't accept that," Pacey said.  
  
"No, I think you did pretty good for your second day on the job," Joey said, her laughter never ending at this point, "Hey, you and him sure made me laugh." Pacey smiled, turning to walk away,  
  
"Thanks," he told her.  
  
"No problem," Joey said, taking Brian's hand.  
  
"I can't believe you gave that jerk a tip," Brian said as they headed to the car.  
  
"Don't worry about it. What do you say we head back to my place? Jen lent me some of her books....." Joey said suggestively, wrapping her arms around his neck.  
  
"Mmm...Feeling better already," Brian replied, kissing her soundly.  
  
Pacey looked out the window of the restaurant, looking at her kissing him. He turned around, clearing the plates from their table, putting the $10 dollar tip in his pocket. The familiar sound of the "drunk" version of "What's Love Got to Do With It?" comforting his shattered nerves. 


	3. Getting a Job

Ch.3  
  
She woke up in his arms, turning to switch the blaring alarm clock off that was buzzing in her ear. She looked at his sleeping form, running her finger down his chest. He opened his eyes, "Hey," he said, sleepily.  
  
"How'd you sleep?" she asked him.  
  
"Fine," he replied, "You really wore me out last night, Jo."  
  
"Good," she said, smiling, planting a kiss on his cheek, "I'm supposed to meet Jen for lunch today at 1. I'm gonna get ready for classes, go to calculus, skip bio, and tonight I'll call you so we can do something."  
  
"Skipping bio?" he asked.  
  
"Yeah, don't really feel like going," Joey said, simply.  
  
"Doesn't sound like my studious girlfriend talking," he replied.  
  
"Yeah, well this studious girl needs a damn break," she told him.  
  
"Okay, then a break it is," he answered, kissing her nose.  
  
"Glad you understand, I also need a job," she said as she got out of the bed and threw her sweatshirt over her head.  
  
"Well, what do you want to do?" he asked.  
  
"I don't know, something..."she answered.  
  
"Tonight if you want, we can check some stuff out," he suggested.  
  
"Sounds good," Joey replied, as she threw on a pair of jeans and quickly ran a brush through her hair.  
  
"I'm still shocked you gave that waiter a tip last night," Brian said as he got out of the bed.  
  
"Oh my god! You are still fixed on that? Get over it," Joey said, smiling in disbelief. She thought back to last night, it was highly amusing. And that waiter, what was his name, Pete....no...Paul...that wasn't it....Pascal....yuck....hopefully not...Pacey. That was it. Aw, what a cute name.  
  
"Okay, Okay, I'm sorry," he apologized.  
  
"Oh, it's alright," she said as she threw her arms around his neck, kissing him softly, before heading into the bathroom.  
  
After her calculus class ended, Joey got in her car and drove back to Bayonne, to pick up Jen and go to their favorite pizza place for lunch. As she was driving, she looked around at the scenery surrounding her. The city was busy with school kids and people window shopping along the streets. The sky was a gray, dull color. It was one of those days that she hated living in Bayonne. The days that she desperately wanted to run to somewhere that was beautiful and not so....how could she put it....old. Not old in the sense of a city dating back a long time ago, but old in the sense that everything was familiar. Every twist in the road, every shop on the corner, every sign visible from the highway. She hadn't been introduced to something new in ages, she'd had the same friends since she was 5 and apart from moving to an apartment, she had lived in the same area of her small town her whole life. Not everyday felt so boring, when the sun was out and the streets were more active with people, she loved where she lived. She loved that she could drive by and wave to five people in a row, that was the nice thing about Bayonne, everybody knew everybody. Nobody ever felt alone, except maybe if you were new, then it took awhile to get to know people. She snapped out of her thoughts when she pulled into Jen and her grandmother's driveway. She knocked on the door, she was so used to, god could she use some change in her life.  
  
"Hey Jo," Jen greeted, "Come on, let's go, Grams is trying to teach me how to sew this hole in my skirt and it's not going well." Jen slipped her arm through Joey's and the two walked to the restaurant.  
  
"So how did my books work out?" Jen asked, raising her eyebrows.  
  
"Amazingly," Joey giggled.  
  
"See I told you," Jen said, "Which chapter did you like the best, I thought that the--"  
  
"Okay, we're completely done with this conversation," Joey said, laughing.  
  
"Alright, Alright," Jen replied as they walked through the front door and seated themselves at the nearest table. After they had ordered, the conversation between the girls began.  
  
"So Bri, stopped by this morning," Jen told Joey.  
  
"Really, what for?" Joey asked.  
  
"Just to stop in I guess, he brought us donuts," Jen replied.  
  
"That was nice," Joey said as she sipped her coke.  
  
"Yes it was," Jen answered, "I heard him ranting and raving to Jack about some waiter who spilled coke on your dress last night."  
  
"Oh my gosh, he has serious problems letting go," Joey said, laughing, "Yeah, this waiter, he was so sweet and it was his second day of working and he didn't mean to spill the drink on me."  
  
"Was he hot?" Jen asked.  
  
"He was cute," Joey replied.  
  
"How gorgeous was he?" Jen questioned.  
  
Joey laughed, "I said he was cute."  
  
"I know you, you thought he was hot," Jen stated.  
  
"Yeah, but I hate talking about this when I'm dating someone else, you know that," Joey said as she tucked a piece of hair behind her ear.  
  
"Why?" Jen asked.  
  
"Because I feel bad about Brian," Joey told her.  
  
"I need someone to talk to about guys. It's not like I'm gonna run to Brian and tell him everything you say. So about this waiter, was he available?" Jen questioned.  
  
"I don't know! I wasn't able to exchange numbers with him," she answered, sarcastically.  
  
"You might need to take me to that restaurant, I want to meet this hunk," Jen said as she tore her napkin.  
  
"Hunk? I don't think I've heard that word since...well...never. Who uses the word 'hunk'? Joey laughed.  
  
"Shut up," Jen replied.  
  
"Besides, I'm not taking you there today. Today you and I are going to find me a job," Joey said as she made room on the table so the waiter could put the pizza down.  
  
"A job?" Jen asked, as she dug into her first slice.  
  
"Yes, a job. I need one, my apartment bill is high and I'm feeling like I need to find another source of income then--" Joey stopped short and looked away from the door quickly.  
  
"What Joey?" Jen asked.  
  
"Oh my god. Oh, please hide me, please, please," Joey begged as she used her hand to cover her face.  
  
"What? Why?" Jen asked, as she set her slice of pizza down.  
  
"The guy who just walked in, that was my waiter last night," Joey whispered, "He probably thinks I'm such a pig because now he's seen me eat out twice!"  
  
"Where is he?" Jen asked in her normal speaking voice.  
  
"Will you shut the hell up?" Joey asked, her voice quiet.  
  
"Sorry, which one?" Jen questioned, whispering.  
  
Joey looked up and spotted him at the counter, "That one," she said using her eyes to direct Jen to the there. Jen turned around and looked at him.  
  
"Oh my, he is hot," Jen said, her excitement turning her voice level up about 4 notches.  
  
"Jen!" Joey said, whispering very loudly, "Will you shut up?"  
  
"Okay, sorry," Jen replied, "I'm gonna get him to come talk to us."  
  
"No, please don't," Joey begged.  
  
"Oh come on. Not to annoy you, for me. I need someone too, Please....Besides, why do you care so much, it's not like you should be embarrassed, it's not like your interested, or are you?" Jen asked, her voice suggesting.  
  
"Jen! I'm dating Brian. To prove to you are completely wrong, call him over here. I think his name's Pacey," Joey told her.  
  
"You remembered his name?" Jen said laughing.  
  
"It's kind of hard to forget a name like that," Joey replied, "But don't call it, then it looks like I--".  
  
"Pacey!" Jen called. He turned around and looked at the person guilty of calling his name. Joey sunk lower in her seat. Jen motioned him to come closer and he did, "Hey."  
  
"Hi," Pacey replied, "Do I know you?" he asked.  
  
"No, but you know my friend. This is Joey. I'm Jen," she told him, holding out her hand. He shook it and looked up at her friend. It was the girl from the restaurant. God she was beautiful. He immediately remembered how the night before had gone down and was humiliated.  
  
"Hi," Joey said, reaching her hand across the table, "Nice to meet you."  
  
"You too," he said, shaking her hand, feeling the same sparks from the night before, wondering if she felt them too, "How's your dress?"  
  
"Fine," Joey said, smiling and pulling her hand away from his slowly. His eyes were mesmerizing, she could just stare into them---  
  
"And the boyfriend?" Pacey asked.  
  
"He's fine too," Joey answered, "Calmed down considerably."  
  
"That's good," Pacey said as he looked back towards Jen who had been watching the display of pleasantries with a smirk on her face.  
  
"Are you new here Pacey?" Jen asked.  
  
"Yeah, moved here from Boston to live with my uncle," Pacey answered, "he's sick and my dad wanted me to look after him for awhile."  
  
"You in school?" Jen questioned.  
  
"Nope, I actually work at the restaurant on 5th, the one with the karaoke bar," Pacey replied.  
  
"I know Joey told me," Jen said as she bit into her second slice of pizza.  
  
"I did?" Joey asked, giving Jen an evil look.  
  
"Maybe not, no actually I think I saw you there," Jen told him.  
  
"Yeah," Pacey said, still staring at Joey. Realizing his gaze, he dropped his eyes back to Jen.  
  
"Actually Joey, here, was looking for a job," Jen told him, "Is there a waitress opening?"  
  
"I'm not sure, all I know is that it would be nice to have someone my age around because all the other servers are older," Pacey said.  
  
"Well she might look into it," Jen replied.  
  
"It was nice meeting you two," Pacey said as he went back to the counter after hearing his order called, "I guess I'll see you guys around."  
  
"Okay," Jen answered.  
  
"I can't believe you," Joey said, under her breath.  
  
"He's so sweet," Jen countered, "You should totally work there."  
  
"No, I don't think Bri would go for that," she answered.  
  
"Who the hell cares Jo? You love that place and it's good pay. Brian wants you to do what makes you happy and that place would be fun to work at," Jen explained.  
  
"I know," Joey said as she finished her slice of pizza,"I'll consider it."  
  
"Good," Jen replied.  
  
After lunch, the girls looked around for some jobs, none that Joey took an interest in. She walked Jen home and called Brian to do something that night. She decided to keep looking for a job, when she had no luck, she knew what she had to do, this was her last option, plus, she did love the place. She walked into her favorite karaoke bar. She spotted Pacey sitting talking to another waiter. He turned around, smiled softly and headed over to her. Could he sense her presence? Wow, that was weird. He thought to himself.  
  
"Hey, Joey right?" he greeted.  
  
"Yeah, Hey. Do you know where I can get a job application?" 


	4. Ain't Too Proud to Beg

Thanks so much for the feedback, you guys! I really appreciate it. This is a shorter chapter, but I'll be posting the next one soon!  
  
"Um..actually I don't, let me go get the manager for you," Pacey said, as he started walking away towards the back of the restaurant.

"No!" Joey said.

"Okay..." Pacey replied, confusion taking over his features.

"No, I mean, I don't know if I want this job yet and I don't want to talk to the manager until I'm sure. I need to run it by a couple of people first," Joey explained.

"Oh, like the over protective boyfriend?" Pacey asked, smiling.

"Shut up," Joey snapped, "What do you know?"

"Wow, somebody's defensive," Pacey answered, chuckling softly to himself.

"Sorry," she apologized, "I'm just a little stressed out."

"Apparently," Pacey mumbled under his breath.

"Look, Can you just tell me where to get a form?" Joey requested.

"Yeah," Pacey said, "I'll go get one from the manager, Anything else I can get you?" he asked.

"No, that'd be all," she said, smiling at his sarcasm.

"Good," he replied as he walked towards the back of the restaurant.

Joey looked up at the stage and smiled. A man in his late 40s was up there, attempting to sing "Old Time Rock and Roll" by Bob Seger. He wasn't drunk, just having fun. She looked out to the people watching him. A girl, a little younger than her, was there, hiding her face in her hands. It was obviously her father and he was humiliating her. As the older man finished, he urged his daughter on the stage, she finally agreed and began singing a song Joey hadn't heard of, she had a good voice, different than all the other ones she had heard at this particular restaurant. She felt a hand on her shoulder and jumped, she turned around.

"Sorry, I got your form," Pacey told her.

"Oh, thanks," she said, patting his shoulder.

"No problem," he replied, "You were obviously deep in thought."

"What?" Joey said, once again snapping out of the trance his eyes had put on her.

"When I tapped you, you jumped like 5 feet out of your chair."

"Oh yeah, I was just listening to the singer," Joey replied. "That's my favorite part of working here. The karaoke bar," he explained.

"That's why I come here," Joey said as she chewed on her inner lip.  
  
_God, that was sexy. Why did she have to turn him on like that?_ "Have you ever sang up there?" Pacey asked.

"Nope."

"Why not? I mean, if you like it so much."

"Just can't work up the courage, I guess, what about you, can you get up there and sing?" Joey questioned.

"No," Pacey replied, "Nobody graced me with a voice."

"Nobody graced anyone else who goes up there and sings with a voice. It doesn't stop them," she told him.

"Persistent much?" he laughed.

"When I want to see something, yeah," she replied.

"And what would that be?" Pacey asked.

"You up there singing," she replied, giggling.

"I'll do it."

"You wouldn't," she replied, giving him a classic Joey half-smile.

"I would."

"Prove it," she dared.

"Fine," he countered as he handed her the form and walked over the karaoke stage, telling the man what he wanted to sing and hopping on the stage. Joey was grinning from ear to ear the whole time. Shocked, that he would actually go up there and sing on her simple request. The song started playing over the speakers, Ain't to Proud to Beg, by the Temptations. That was one of her favorite songs, weird how he picked it. He began singing, every note off key, she could tell he was doing it that way just to make her laugh and she was. Laughing uncontrollably to the point of tears almost streaming down her face. He was so cute, up there singing. He such a cute smile and his body...Oh my. For a second, she completely forgot about Brian. He would never get up there and sing like that. When Pacey was finished, he hopped off the stage, Joey clapped, he was blushing furiously.  
  
"Very nice job," Joey complimented, laughing.

"Thank you," Pacey replied, "I better get back to work. Consider working here, it's fun."

"It has its pluses. Certain charms," Joey replied, her laughter finally dying down, but her smile permanently spread across her face.

"Are you hitting on me Joey?" Pacey asked.

"Absolutely not, I meant the karaoke and the wait staff seems nice enough. Except for this exceptionally annoying waiter, he tried to sing, but if he does it again, I definitely will not be considering this place as a possibility," Joey quipped.

"Ouch," Pacey replied, placing a hand over his chest. "See you later Pacey," Joey said as she headed out the restaurant.

"Bye Joey," he replied.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I know where I wanna work," Joey told Brian as she turned the stove on, to begin boiling water.

"Where?" Brian asked.

"At Marshalls. You know the place we went the other night," Joey answered.

"Oh," Brian replied, unenthusiastically.

"Well don't try and sound too excited," Joey said sarcastically.

"I'm sorry if I don't like that dickhead waiter," he said flatly.

"Why the hell do you care so much? It's not like I'm going to cheat on you," Joey asked him, "He's actually a real sweetheart."

"I'm glad you like him."

"Oh come on Brian, I really want to work there, you know how much I love it," she replied.

"I know.".

"So are you happy for me?"

"Yeah," he said, unconvincly.

"We're gonna have to work on that," Joey said as she started kissing him. Ain't To Proud to Beg playing in the back of her head.


	5. First Day On the Job

Thanks so much for the feedback, and sorry about the whole formatting thing, I'll make sure it doesn't happen again! I freaking love you guys!!! Replies make me so happy!

"I gotta go!" Joey called from the kitchen as she hastily threw her hair into a ponytail, two whisps of hair, falling in her face. Turns out, she got the job at Marshalls and tonight was her first night. Jen, Jack, and Brian were all coming to dinner, to christen her first night there. She was nervous about her first day, but luckily she got to have the same shifts as Pacey so she knew someone.   
  
"Alright," Brian said as he walked out from her bedroom, "Good Luck."  
  
"Thanks," she replied, "What time are you guys going?"  
  
"Um...like 7," Brian answered.  
  
"Sounds good," she responded, giving him a quick kiss and heading out the door, "See ya Bri."  
  
She walked to the restaurant. She could walk there from her apartment, making it easy to get there if she was ever in a crunch and her car wasn't available. Tonight, she decided to walk there because Brian could give her a ride home and it was really pretty outside. She entered the restaurant and went straight to the back where she threw her coat on the counter and asked another waitress what she should do. After listening, she grabbed a pad of paper and headed off to wait on her first table. _How hard can this be?_ Joey thought to herself as she saw Pacey walk in the front door, his face was red, he was obviously cold and he looked so cute. Instead of going to the table, she walked over to him first. "Hey Pacey," she greeted.  
  
"Hi Joey," Pacey replied, "First day on the job?"  
  
"Yep, a little nervous," she told him.  
  
"Don't be, it can't be possibly as bad as my second," he smiled.  
  
"Aww...it's okay...my dress will never be the same, and my boyfriend almost had a heart attack, but don't worry about it," she joked.  
  
"Thanks," he said, chuckling under his breath, "Talking on the job, not a good start Joey. I'm going to have to consult the manager about this."  
  
She stuck her a tongue out at him, looking childish, "I'm going." She turned around, glancing at him over her shoulder at him, giving him a smile and a quick roll of her eyes. He smiled back and she got the same feeling she always did when he smiled. That feeling, where her stomach felt all warm and bubbly and fluttery. No one ever made her feel that way before and it scared her. She walked to her first table and apologized, "Hi, My name's Joey, sorry for your wait, How are you guys tonight?"  
  
"Alright," the elderly woman replied, "You?"  
  
"I'm good, thanks," she replied.  
  
"Do you guys know what you want to order?" Joey asked them, pulling the pad out of her pocket and grabbing the pencil from behind her ear. All the while, Pacey was standing, watching her contently. She looked so sexy, standing there, chewing her bottom lip, writing down their order. He could watch her forever.   
  
"Pacey man! Wipe the drool," another waiter whispered in his ear.  
  
"What?" Pacey said, trying to sound as innocent as possible.  
  
"Just get to work," the other man replied as he walked away. Pacey shook his head and walked over to a table, just about to wipe it off, when Joey came up behind him and tapped his shoulder, he turned around, "What's up?"  
  
"Can you wait on that table over there," she asked him softly, nodded her head in the direction of a man sitting at a table towards the back of the restaurant.  
  
"Sure, why?" Pacey asked.  
  
"He's acting all weird," she explained.  
  
"Yeah, I got it," Pacey said, walking over to the table, prepared to take the guy's order, "Hi, what can I get for you?"  
  
"Her," the man said, pointing to Joey, who was waiting on another table.  
  
Pacey shuddered, trying to not make it visible, "Uh, no I meant food wise."  
  
"So did I, she looks like she'd taste good," the man told Pacey.  
  
"Okay, how about you stop talking about her like she's some piece of meat, and just tell me what you want to order," Pacey requested, trying to keep his cool, which was quickly running out.  
  
"Oh, sorry, did I hit some sore spot? Are you two dating? Because if you are, you are one lucky man," the guy asked, shifting in his seat.  
  
"No, but she's currently unavailable, Not that she'd want to date you if she was," Pacey told him, mumbling the last part under his breath.  
  
"God, how I'd like to take her home and do ungodly things to her," the man replied, licking his lips, staring lustfully at Joey.  
  
"You know what?" Pacey started, "I feel really uncomfortable, why don't you just order?"  
  
"Whatever, I'm leaving anyway," the man replied, standing up and walking hastily out of the restaurant. Pacey sighed, shook his head and headed back to Joey, who had seen the man walk out.  
  
"I'm sorry," Joey apologized, knowing it was one less tip for him.  
  
"That's alright, major asshole anyway," Pacey said as he patted her shoulder and walked past her to clean off some more tables.  
  
"Thanks Pace," Joey said. _Pace. She just called him Pace. Did he even want to be called that? What the hell was she thinking?  
_  
"No problem," Pacey responded. Joey had been waiting on tables all night, and was continually excited about the tips she was getting, Pacey found her excitement over 10 bucks incredibly amusing and would laugh everytime she got that big, smirk across her face. Brian, Jack, and Jen walked into the restaurant around 7 like promised. She walked over to their table after they had been seated.  
  
"Hello, how are you all tonight?" Joey said in her best professional voice, cracking up afterwards.  
  
"I just wanted to say that I expect fully professional behavior on your part Josephine. You do want a tip, don't you?" Jen asked, smiling.  
  
"Well, if you feel a tip is necessary, then who am I to object?" she replied, moving around the table so she could see Brian. She knelt down on the ground, so she could give him a proper greeting. "Hey," she said softly, brushing her lips against his.  
  
"Hello gorgeous," he said, "How's work going?"  
  
"Alright, Pa--," Joey started, but quickly stopped herself, "the other waiters are helping me out."  
  
Jen smirked, noticing Joey's mistake, "Where's that one waiter, Pacey, was that his name? I'd really like to see him again."  
  
Brian groaned, Joey gave Jen an evil look. Jen responded by waggling her eyebrows, and Jack sat by watching the chain reaction to Pacey's name. "I'd like to meet this guy that you all can't shut the hell up about."  
  
"He's not gay, Jack," Jen pointed out.  
  
"I know, but hey any potential friend of Joey's, I'd like to meet," Jack replied.  
  
"Friend?" Brian cut in.  
  
"No, colleagues," Joey answered, "Jen, drop the whole subject of him. I need to stop talking. What do you guys want to order?" After they had told her, Joey gave Brian one more kiss and headed back to the kitchen, where she placed the paper slip on the counter. She felt of wave of pain in her forehead. Pacey caught Joey with the look of distraught on her face as she began rubbing her temples.  
  
"Headache?" Pacey asked.  
  
"Hell yes," Joey replied.  
  
"Want some aspirin?" Pacey suggested.  
  
"You carry around aspirin?" Joey said, laughing softly.  
  
"No, they have some on the back counter. Believe me, I've had my share already," Pacey told her.  
  
"Thanks," she answered as she walked to the back counter and opened the bottle of pills, popping two in her mouth, "I'm tired."  
  
"Yeah, it does get kind of tiring," Pacey agreed.  
  
"Does the manager care if I go out there and talk to my friends?" Joey asked.  
  
"I don't know, probably not, are your other table's food ready yet?" Pacey responded.  
  
"Nope," Joey replied, simply.  
  
"Then I don't see why he would," he said as he rubbed a hand through his hair, thinking for a second, "Wait, what friends?"  
  
Joey chewed her lip, "Um...Jen, Jack, and my boyfriend."  
  
"Oh great, I'll be sure to _not _come over to converse," Pacey replied.  
  
"That would be a good idea," Joey countered, "However, Jen seems interested."  
  
"Well, I'm flattered, but I'm not quite interested," Pacey explained.  
  
"Who are you dating?" Joey asked.  
  
"Noone," he told her.  
  
"You're not dating anyone?" Joey replied, surprise faltering her voice.  
  
"Surprised?" he asked.  
  
"Yeah," Joey said, nodding her head.  
  
"Why?" Pacey responded.  
  
"I don't know, you're sweet and well--um--attractive," Joey told him.  
  
"Well, thank you, you're quite beautiful yourself Miss. Potter," he complimented.  
  
She gave him a shy smile, her cheeks becoming pink, deciding to change the subject, "Why aren't you interested in Jen? She's cool, hysterical, beautiful."  
  
"Don't get me wrong, she seems great. Just not my type," Pacey replied.  
  
"And what is your type?" Joey said.  
  
"I guess, you'll have to get to know me better," he said as he started towards the exit of the kitchen.  
  
"What's that supposed to mean?" she replied as the bell dinged, signalling the order was ready.  
  
"Get to work," he said between a chuckle, "Now your other table's food is ready, you wasted your time talking to me instead of your friends." He walked out of the kitchen.   
  
Joey smiled, shaking her head, "Definitely not wasted."

FEEDBACK....please 


	6. Chill Out, Brian

Hey ya'll. :-P Sorry this has taken so damn long. I'm lazy and I suck. I'll try to update daily from now on because there's only one chapter left on Pages of True Love and I'm really far behind with updates here. Please leave me some feedback! I live for it.

3 Maddie

Can I Take Your Order? Ch.6

When Joey had given her friends their food and they had paid their check, she headed to the back of the restaurant to put the money in the cash register and to see Pacey. There was just something about him. He was so funny, not to mention adorable and she loved talking to him, even if it _was_ some meaningless conversation.

She walked through the swinging doors, leading into the kitchen.

"How's overreacter?" Pacey asked, grinning.

"Fine, thanks," Joey replied, smiling slightly, "That's going to get annoying."

"That's the plan," he said as he walked out of the kitchen. Joey followed him.

"Where you going?" Joey asked.

"To wait on tables," Pacey answered, "My job."

"Haha," she replied. Brian glanced up from the table and saw the two laughing together. He stood up and headed over to them.

"Jo, are you almost done here?" he asked, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"My shift doesn't end till' 11," she replied, a little surprised at Brian's sudden appearance.

"Oh, well I was hoping we could leave now," Brian responded, taking her hand in his.

"Bri, I can't go now, I can't just leave," Joey told him, taken aback by his persistence.

"Hey, I can give her a ride home, if you don't want to wait around," Pacey offered.

"No, that won't be necessary," Brian replied, giving Pacey a look.

"He was just trying to be nice Brian," Joey reasoned with him.

"You know what?" Brian said through grit teeth, "I didn't even want you to have this job in the first place! God damn it Joey, can't you see he just wants to get in your pants?"

"Brian, stop it," Joey whispered.

"I hope you fucking lose this job, maybe I won't lose you," Brian told her as he turned as his foot and stormed out of the restaurant.

"Jo, do you need me to pick you up later?" Jack asked as he approached her, witnessing the entire scene between the couple.

"No, I can walk home," Joey told him softly, trying to conceal the tears in her voice.

"Are you sure?" Jack replied.

"Yeah," she answered, "Thanks Jack." Joey looked around the restaurant and then at Pacey. She met his eyes and embarrassment overwhelmed her. She hurried away from the tables and ran to the back room.

Pacey followed after her slowly, finding her facing the kitchen cabinets, leaning against the counter. She could sense he was behind her and quickly swiped the tears from her eyes, "Sorry about him," she apologized.

"Don't apologize, Jo," Pacey answered, placing a hand on her shoulder, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she replied, "I don't know what gets into him sometimes."

"Yeah, maybe he was a little stressed," Pacey said, trying to sound reassuring.

"I know you think he's a dickhead. Just say it, Pacey," Joey replied, flatly.

"No, he seems like he takes care of you. He seems kind of insecure."

"He is. He thinks I'm going to fall for you," Joey said, turning around to face him, a faint smile gracing her lips.

Pacey laughed softly, "If it makes you feel any better, I'd probably be a tad protective if I was dating you."

"Why?" Joey asked, confused.

"Because you, Joey Potter, well you're absolutely gorgeous," he paused, "sassy, funny, smart and any guy would be lucky to have you," Pacey explained.

Joey blushed, "Thanks," she said softly. "He was such a jerk tonight though, I don't know, he's so different when he's freaking out," she said, tears brimming her eyelids, "God, if he ever acts like that again...." she drifted off, a tear unconsciously falling from her eye. Pacey's thumb reached out to brush her cheek, letting the tear hit his finger.

"Don't cry," Pacey told her softly.

"God, I'm so embarrassed."

"Don't be. Hardly any of the customers heard and it's not like I'm going to think any less of you," he said softly, brushing a piece of hair out of her face.

She shivered, noticeably.

Pacey knew the affect her had on her because she had the same one on him.

She continued looking into his eyes, trying to read them, trying to figure out this new emotion she was feeling. Before she could stop herself, her lips were on his cheek, and she pulled him into a hug. They stayed like that, his hands softly rubbing her back, her arms around his neck.

"Pacey," a voice interrupted, "Oh I'm sorry."

"No, what's up?" he said, pulling away from Joey.

"Table 8's order is ready," the other waiter told him.

"Okay, thanks," Pacey replied, looking at Joey once more, placing a gentle kiss on her cheek, "You need a ride home tonight?"

"Is that okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, it's no problem," he told her as he walked out of the kitchen.

Joey sighed. There was no way she should not be having these feelings for another guy. She felt like her stomach was in knots.

The "what ifs" began playing in her head.

What if she wasn't dating Brian?

What if Pacey had never come into the picture?

What if she wound up falling in love with this stranger who she had met two days ago?

Brian's worst fear would be confirmed. She shook the thought out of her head and sniffled, going to wait on another table.

Finally eleven rolled around. Joey had never been more exhausted in her life. She had started feeling something, stronger than the crush she already had on him, for Pacey and she felt sick to her stomach at the prospect of being unfaithful in her thoughts and actions to Brian.

"You ready to go?" Pacey asked Joey.

"Yeah, let me grab my coat," she said as she pulled it off the counter quickly and headed back to him. Pacey opened the car door for her as she got in, "Thanks."

"Yep," he got in the driver's side and stared the engine, pulling out of the restaurant parking lot. "So long first day…."

"You could say that."

"It'll get better," Pacey told her, "Please don't quit, I would miss having you around." He said, his tone light, but honesty seeping through his words.

It was one day and he had already become attached to this girl. Not a good sign.

"I'm not planning on it."


End file.
